


Lovely Chaos

by Shy_Dragon9991



Category: Naruto, One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, AU world, Adapting to Affection, Bijuu Naruto, Gen, Sort of? - Freeform, World Fusion, different time, fast forward, same world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-11-22 09:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11377146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shy_Dragon9991/pseuds/Shy_Dragon9991
Summary: Naruto never thought that clashing with Kaguya would result in him being flung who knows how many years into the future. Without his old friends and family-figures to lean on, maybe the three younger boys running about the forest of the island he'd woken on would prove to be something he needed to soothe his pain?





	1. What's Going On?

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the first chapter! I hope you all like it!

The pain was nearly unbearable, searing through his entire body and making his head pound abominably. He couldn't feel his limbs beyond the agony or even truly think, the sensation was all-encompassing. Thunderous voices rang in his ears and made them ache terribly, though he could only just make out what they were saying.

"Keep focusing! The rip has already closed! If we stay in here too long then Naru-chan won't make the trip and we'll disappear! Who knows where we'll reappear!" a hurried voice buzzed.

Another roared back, "I know, Chomei! I just finished the conversion process! I'm going as fast as I can without killing him myself!"

"Fuck! Kurama, time is passing us by! The energy drainage is immense without everyone helping!" a grainy third voice screeched.

Kurama responded angrily, "I only need to regenerate his legs now, I'm almost done!"

"Hurry! Please!" several voices pleaded simultaneously.

Everything went silent after that, the voices fading as he fell into unconsciousness. The following nightmares were far worse than any pain he'd ever experienced.

Waking up was a long and difficult thing to do. It was made even harder when someone, namely Naruto, felt like they'd had the crap beaten out of them not too long ago.

The blond groaned as he came to, feeling sore and more than a little exhausted, "Anyone catch the name of the woman who hit me?"

He painfully sat up and looked around, taking in the environment surrounding him.

"Where the hell am I?"

Trees towered above him, leaves fluttering and falling in the wind. Sunlight peeked through tree boughs and was scattered by the dancing branches. The air was clean, untouched by the corruption of man. A myriad of scents floated by on a breeze, and tickled his sensitive nose. The foliage was dense, so thick it obscured vision. All of it reminded Naruto of a lighter, more pure version of the Forest of Death. The sounds of animals could be heard, but there were no screams of agony to accompany them. A sense of peace reigned instead of terror, leaving him with a feeling of relaxation.

It couldn't be the Forest of Death though. The forest had been destroyed in Pein's attack on Konoha and there was no way new trees could have grown so tall in the short months between said attack and the war against Madara and Kaguya. There were only three possible people that could have perhaps grown them with chakra, but all were improbable. Captain Yamato was one, but the older man had neither the time nor the energy to do so. Hashirama was capable as well, but wasn't likely because the former Hokage hadn't left the battlefield since he'd arrived. The last option was Kaguya, but since when would she lower herself to provide cover for her enemies?

"Kaguya!" Naruto gasped in realization.

He'd hit her! Naruto had actually landed a hit on that witch of a woman! It had taken the lives of his friends and countless other shinobi, but he'd done It! So why was he god-knows-where?

Peeling himself up off the ground, he began shuffling around the area in hopes of finding a clue as to where he was. After some trudging around and generally feeling dead on his feet, Naruto stopped at a rather wide stream. He bent down next to the clear water and scooped some into his hands before drinking it. The cool liquid soothed his parched throat as it went down.

Feeling a bit better, he gazed at the water's surface only to receive one of the biggest shocks of his life.

The reflection that normally greeted him was gone, replaced with a not so familiar yet still familiar face. Instead of the human with tan skin and "whiskered" cheeks there was a fox with blond fur and actual whiskers. Two triangular ears with scarlet tips sat on the top of his head, twitching slightly because of the wind breezing passed the white inner hairs. His eyes, though still the same color, we're now slitted very much like they were in his Kyubi Mode. His face being vulpine in appearance, he bore a slim snout with a sharp nose. Opening aforementioned snout revealed a set of even sharper pearly white teeth.

Now, with mounting shock, Naruto examined the rest of his body. His legs had changed, folding at two joints instead of only at the knee and ending in large paws where his feet had once been. Thankfully, his arms and hands seemed to be very much the same despite being covered with thick layer of fur and sporting pointed claws respectively. The icing on the cake, however, was the addition of the nine extra appendages attached to his lower spine.

In a panic, Naruto tried to reach Kurama. Getting no answer, he attempted to calm himself and enter his subconscious. Darkness and rippling water greeted him after barely succeeding.

"Kurama!" he called out before noticing the tailed beast and his siblings.

That's right, he'd won the tug-of-war between himself and the Rabbit Goddess... He was the jinchuuriki for all of them now... He'd have to think on that later...

Kurama was laying down, fatigue evident in his frame. His breathing was heavy and he didn't seem like he'd wake up anytime soon. The same could be said for his siblings. It was rather worrying to see, especially when Shukaku, Matatabi, and Isobu were nearly see-through.

Hearing his shout, Kurama opened a tired eye. His siblings dead to the world.

The blond ran up to his partner, stumbling slightly, and stopped in front of him, "Kurama, what happened? B-both after I hit Kaguya and to you guys, I mean..."

"After you hit Kaguya, the sheer power behind your attack split the veil of reality. It opened a portal that sucked you in, knocking you out in the process," the large fox recounted lethargically.

Continuing, he said, "It takes a tremendous amount of energy to pass through the veil. All of my siblings and I were needed to open a portal back into reality from the In-Between."

"Are you all going to be okay?" Naruto worried, eyeing the three that were fading in and out of sight.

Kurama sighed, "We should be with a sufficient amount of time, though those three -and maybe Son Goku- will need more time than the rest of us."

The smaller fox nodded, "That's good..."

He paused, feeling slightly awkward now that the shock and worry had finally faded, "Err... Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Why do I look like you?"

His question fell on deaf ears as a loud snoring met his own.

"Kurama! You jerk!"


	2. The Past and Its Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looking back on the past is a painful thing, especially in the case of a former village pariah. Though, with Kurama still with him, the process is made just a tiny margin easier at the very least. The antics of the siblings will either keep him sane or drive him mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Chapter! Wooo!
> 
> This one is a bit more on the angsty side of things, not too in depth, but still evident. It also has a lot of my headcanons weaved into it, just so you're aware...

The first few weeks were difficult, seeing as Naruto had realized he would never see his friends again. Not only because he was stranded on an island without any idea where said island was located, but because he knew they were dead. He had watched them die, had seen and heard their last moments himself. On top of that, Kurama had said it had taken all of the Bijuu to create the portal that had left three of them near catatonic. Isobu, Shukaku and Matatabi hadn't woken up until almost an entire month had passed. That meant trying to create another portal was a no-go as well. Naruto didn't want to place them in that position again, never mind the cost he'd paid to get through himself.

It was strange to see a face so different from the one he remembered whenever he looked at his reflection. Despite making friends with Kurama and respecting him as his partner, the blond ninja was reminded of everything the villagers had ever said to him. Each and every insult, rumour, and hurtful word they'd spat at him came to the front of his mind. It was as if he'd become the very thing they abhorred so much. Those thoughts didn't last long though, because Naruto knew that Kurama, the very entity that they hated so much, was never the one at fault. Not then and certainly not now, no, that belonged to Madara and Obito.

Their actions had led to countless deaths, both inside and outside the Leaf Village. Those deaths left behind grieving lovers, friends, and families that blamed the Kyuubi for the loss of their loved ones. Those people had had no idea of the ones behind the attack, how could they have been if only the Yondaime had seen Obito on the night of Naruto's birth? None the less, they knew they couldn't truly harm Kurama, so they settled for taking their anger, their pain, out on the closest thing to him. His host. Naruto. He hadn't even been half a decade old when he'd realized that he was treated differently compared to other children.

His very first memories were that of an orphanage and the matrons working it. The head matron, a cold grandmother who'd lost everything on the night of the Kyuubi Attack, had despised him with a passion and had always looked for the littlest things to beat him with her ruler for. Sneaking food from the kitchen after being denied lunch? He'd been switched faster than Might Guy could run around the village. Forgot to pick up after himself? The next thing he'd known he'd been whacked over the head. Arguing with one of the other children? Another bruise was added to the ever growing collection. Failed to pronounce or write something right -which had often happened because of improper teaching- during lessons? There went all feeling in his hands. The other kids who had noticed the adults behavior? They had copied them because they thought it was okay to do so and were never punished for it. Each and every bit of it left a mark, maybe not a physical one, but certainly a mental one. One look at his mind scape was enough to prove that. All of that abuse continued until his fifth birthday, the night he was thrown out of the orphanage.

Looking back on that, it was one of the best things to happen to him despite the first few days on the streets. Thankfully, the Sandaime had provided him with an apartment and a monthly stipend that Naruto suspected had come from Jiraiya.

Sadly, it took two break-ins before Naruto had learned to set up traps before leaving his home unattended. Though it wasn't all bad he supposed, he'd gained valuable knowledge and his penchant for pranking in his efforts to persuade potential vandalisers. He had made it so they'd feel like his home simply wasn't worth the pain of invading.

Things didn't truly get any better until he'd entered the Academy. Regular citizens weren't allowed onto the grounds unless they had children receiving ninja schooling, which significantly lowered the amount of people able to antagonize him. However, for the most part, the teachers were no different from all the other people. Many made habits of giving him harder tests, shoving him into incorrect Taijutsu stances , and ignoring him whenever he had questions.

Iruka-Sensei, with much credit to his professionalism, was an outlier. Yes, Naruto had known the older male had had reservations when they had first met, but they'd never kept him from giving the blond a chance or getting to know and care for him. He and Iruka-Sensei would go over his lessons over ramen at Ichiraku's when the teacher's duties were done for the day, and he appreciated every moment even if it hadn't seemed like it at the time. It was thanks to Iruka-Sensei that Naruto hadn't failed completely and gotten kicked out of the Academy or given up on being a ninja all together.

He was the closest person Naruto had to a father, and, had Naruto had the time, he would have let the brunet know just how much that meant to him. He would never forget the words his father figure had spoken to that bastard, Mizuki, in his defence the night after failing the genin exam for the third time. They had given him the hope and strength he had needed to pursue his dream.

A dream he wouldn't ever be able to realize now. Not that it'd be worth all that much, considering the fact that none of his friends would have been alive to see him accomplish it in the first place.

Thank goodness he still had Kurama and the rest of his siblings. Naruto really didn't want to know what could have possibly happened if they hadn't been there to pull him back from the edge. Figures, Kurama's presence was enough to help calm him down despite their lack of conversation in the month it took him to completely recover.

Kurama had something to do with his new appearance, that much he knew, but Naruto wanted to know just why he looked the way he did.

"That would be my fault," His partner said once he woke from his brief hibernation.

He continued,"The Veil is a passage through time, space, and even dimensions that isn't meant for usage by material beings. In order to pass through, a person must be at least partially made of pure energy."

"Like you guys?"

The Tailed Beasts nodded their heads collectively.

"That's right, Naruto-kun," Matatabi confirmed, her purring laced with drowsiness, "Kurama was forced to convert your body into chakra before your body dissolved into nothing."

Naruto's mouth fell open as his eyes widened, "You're serious?"

Gyuuki snorted, "Totally, Little Fox. There isn't any kidding around going on here."

The blond fox adopted a thinking pose, "So... I'm like a miniature version of Kurama?"

"Sort of, yes, but not quite. I'd say you're half and half. You just might be a bit unstable right now," the red fox admitted.

Naruto's brow furrowed, "Why's that?"

"I had to hurry through the material-to-energy conversion before I could aid my siblings in opening the portal," Kurama explained as everyone quieted down, "You know at least that much, but what I didn't tell you earlier was that I had to use my own chakra as a filter. Your new features are a direct result of my chakra tainting the chakra that now makes up your body composition."

Naruto nodded, looking down into the abyss of water that comprised his mind scape. His new mirror gazed back with fluffy ears twitching every once in a while.

It was still him. He was still blond, still blue-eyed, still himself. A change in appearance wouldn't change who he was and still is as a person.

Deciding to accept it, seeing as he was stuck with it, Naruto looked up at the larger fox and smiled, "Thanks for the save, Kurama!"

The nine-tailed fox grinned lightly, relieved with the answer, "No problem, Naruto."

Having the answer he wanted, Naruto was about to exit his mind scape when he turned back to Kurama.

With a cheeky grin, he asked, "So, does this mean I'm allowed to call you "Dad"?"

"Get out of here, brat!' the red-furred fox growled as the blond snickered and disappeared.

Hearing his brothers and sisters chuckling, he swung around and snapped, "OH, shut it! All of you!"

"Calm your tails, Brother!" Shukaku cackled, "Besides, it's not like it isn't obvious that he has everyone wrapped around his pinkies already!"

Matatabi purred teasingly, "Says the one who refuses to admit his last host was awe-inspiring when they saw him on the battlefield..."

"Shut it, Puss!"

The two-tailed cat raised a flaming eyeridge, her words proven true.

"My Yugito-chan was a wonderful kunoichi, though she wasn't all that good at keeping her head in certain situations," she meowed fondly, "It's okay to admire their strengths, Shukaku. They worked very hard to get where they were, despite everything they endured. There is no shame in admiring that."

Matatabi smiled, her dual-colored eyes curling into down-facing crescents as she recalled her former jinchuuriki.

Kurama sighed, "Yes, that may be true, but it doesn't mean we have to like the rest of the human race. Our hosts were and are mere exceptions. Agreed?"

"Agreed!"


	3. Goa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goa Kingdom was quite an... interesting... place. Though, after meeting three brothers, Naruto feels that the mountain forest may be his favorite part of the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! A new chapter!

Grey Terminal was a dump. A humongous dump, but still a dump none the less, and it stunk to the high heavens. All around it, the trash was sorted and picked through by depressed, filthy, and starving people looking for anything that could possibly be of any use or value. Though, if something of value was found and not guarded thoroughly enough, it was stolen from right under its finder's nose. It was deplorable in every sense of the word. What made it truly horrible however, was the sparkling city that sat beside it on the other side of a wall. There wasn't a speck of dirt to be found there, but the attitudes of the majority of the people more than compensated for it. The bitter poor were treated like the plague; the irritable middle class worked their asses off to get barely enough in return; all while the snobby rich kept collecting their hard earned money.

Goa, as Naruto found out it was called, was tiered to represent its class system. Poverish citizens lived on the lowest tier, closest to the wall while the Nobles and King resided in High Town, the highest and centermost part of the city. The Nobles were so well-off that all they had to do to enter any establishment was flaunt a golden coin with their family crest. Even the authorities were in their pockets. They absolutely despised those in poverty, viewing them as less than human, and would demand that anyone they encountered, who was obviously poor, to be removed from the city and thrown in Grey Terminal. All because they could.

In contrast to the large city, a small village laid on the shore of the island that made up Goa Kingdom. It was the exact opposite of its counterpart. The people were happy, content with what they had, and respectful towards one another, generally enjoying the presence of anyone who stopped by. They lived off of each other, helping their neighbors whenever and wherever they could. The only place that caught Naruto's attention there, though, was the Party Bar. Everyone seemed to congregate there for something. Lunch? Coming right up! Just visiting? Hope you don't have to wait to long! Want a few drinks? You got it! Whatever the individual's reason, it was an amicable place to relax and enjoy company. Its owner, Makino, was a perfect match to it too.

The most interesting places on Goa were the mountains and the surrounding forest that separated the village from the city and Grey Terminal though. It was they very place Naruto had first woken up in. After speaking with Kurama before he fell asleep, the blond explored it in its entirety. It turned out that it had more similarities to the death trap of the chunin exams than he'd originally thought. The animals were just as large if not larger than the ones he'd seen during his run through that damned place. They were that ginormous. Just one alligator could feed an average man for a couple weeks, though that said nothing about Naruto.

Thankfully Naruto knew how to cook, despite what others may have thought. He preferred ramen, but that didn't mean he was worthless in the kitchen. What would he have done if he couldn't afford to buy anything as a kid? Hunted and foraged his own food, that's what. He'd had to cook it if he wanted to eat. He wasn't a five star chef, sure, but at least whatever he made was edible.

Among some other things he'd found were a group of nondescript mountain bandits and a trio of rowdy children. The mountain bandits were a collective bunch of twenty or so men lead by a heavy-set woman named Curly Dadan. Two of the men, Magra and Dogra, were almost always by her side. Magra, apparently the healer of the group, was the taller man of the two who looked vaguely like a rooster. Dogra, on the other hand, was shorter and the scout and main information holder that always carried a book with him wherever he went. They and the rest of the bandits had frequent contact with the trio of boys.

Said boys spent the majority of their time sparring or mugging people blind. The strongest, Ace, was a raven-haired boy with silver eyes, a short fuse, and a mean streak when it came to people who threatened the other two. He would often stay to fight even when it'd be better to run. The second, Sabo, was a blond whose body language and speech was too cultured to anything other than those of a young Noble. He was the "brain" of the group, but, like Ace, he was also prone to ditching plans at the last moment to protect the youngest boy. Luffy, the aforementioned youngest boy, was the weakest of the bunch. He had the strangest ability to stretch himself to extreme distances at will. They made for quite a weird trio of kids.

Of course Naruto had to collide with them at some point. He just hadn't anticipated the way they'd meet. Being jumped on while sleeping was completely embarrassing, especially since he was supposed to be a ninja. Then again, Naruto had never been the lightest of sleepers.

"Look! Sabo! Ace! It's a huge fox!" a high-pitched child's voice called out before he felt hands grip into the fur of his hips and a small weight snap into his lower back.

"Luffy! Get away from it! It could eat you in one gulp!" another kid's voice rang out in warning.

Luffy, the little monkey boy, had plastered himself to Naruto's haunches and was rubbing his face in the blond's soft fur, "But, Ace! It's so fluffy I could die!"

Meanwhile, Naruto was in shock from not only waking so abruptly, but having someone touching him so blatantly as well. The Bijuu were laughing at him too, but Naruto was too distracted by the kids. He sat up partially from laying on his side to stare at the coal-haired child in bewilderment. Still clutching onto Naruto, he was arguing with the older children.

The younger blond was the first to notice him and stepped back out of alarm, "It's awake! Luffy! Hurry and get off!"

The little monkey only stuck his tongue out, having not heard the warning while ignoring the other two.

Still sleepy and very confused, Naruto asked, "Kid, why are grabbing my ass?"

His deep voice startled the trio, causing the older boys to take sloppy battle stances as Luffy fell on his butt after letting go of Naruto's fur.

"It can talk!" the freckled boy yelled with wide eyes.

Naruto laughed at their priceless expressions and carefully turned around and sat up completely so he didn't smoosh Luffy.

"Yes, "it" can talk," the blond fox grinned, his tails swaying calmly, "And would prefer if male pronouns were used to describe him instead."

"Cool! Hey! Hey! Mr. Fox! Can you poop?" Luffy asked, bouncing on his toes.

Naruto sweat-dropped, feeling awkward as the three boys began to bicker back and forth. Sabo tried to mediate between the dark-haired boys, but was thoroughly ignored as the older boy punched the top of the younger's head. He watched on, reminded of all the times he and Sasuke had gotten into such trivial arguments. Unbeknownst to him, a sad sigh escaped him, garnering the attention of the kids.

"Mr. Fox?"

Shaking his head free of the bittersweet memories, Naruto looked down at them and grinned again. Damn, they were tiny, so small he could carry the three of them in his arms without a problem. Was everything smaller now, or was it that he got bigger? 

Snickering, he decided to tease them a bit, "You guys are so small and adorable!"

He said it knowing full well that kids didn't like hearing that, especially at the age of the older boys. Naruto sure hadn't, but he couldn't deny that it worked to irritate people. Ace was bound to give the best reaction, Naruto just knew it.

"Shishishi! Thanks! Just you wait, I'll be big too!" Luffy giggled as Sabo turned away and pulled his hat over his face, forgetting his pink ears were still in full view.

Ace had gone beet red in the face, making his freckles all the more prominent by the change in color, "I am NOT little OR adorable!"

Antagonizing him further, Naruto hummed, "I don't know... I think your height and those freckles of yours say otherwise!"

Ace flushed more out of anger, the hue on his face spreading to his ears and shoulders. He then gripped his pipe harshly, glaring with so much hatred and pain in his eyes that Naruto would be dead a hundred times over if it had been a physical attack.

He ran at the fox, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Shut up!"

Naruto let the child approach him, Ace far too slow to be a threat -as weak as he currently was. Once the pipe was swung, aiming for his head, the fox caught the makeshift weapon and threw both it and the brat away from himself.

That Look. That dreaded Look he'd hoped to never see again was set firmly on Ace's features. That same Look he'd seen on Gaara, a lonely kid who'd been obsessed with killing in order to feel loved. That same Look Sasuke -a scarred kid who'd had everyone he'd ever loved wrenched from him in a single night- wore whenever he swore his vengeance to the world. That same Look that had adorned Neji's face when Naruto had gone toe-to-toe in the chunin exams after finally revealing the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. That Same Damn Look Naruto himself had adopted during his "childhood," the years of abuse and neglect having taken their tolls on his young mind and leaving wounds that would continue to weep because they'd never even begun to heal in the first place. There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell that Naruto would leave anyone with the Look alone, not when he knew exactly what it was like to wear it. 

It wouldn't matter how hard Ace fought against him, he was now determined to show him the light of day and there was nothing that would stand in his way. If Naruto could get Sasuke to stray back into the light, then he had no doubt he could help Ace too. He'd show Ace there was so much more to life than the darkness eating at his heart. Naruto would give him a reason to look forward to the future.

Iruka-Sensei had done it for him, so why wouldn't he do it for someone else? 

Making up his mind, Naruto stood and padded over to the downed boy.

Hearing the other two get ready to attack, he spoke calmly, "It hurts, doesn't it? The lonliness..."

Light gasps escaped from the trio. Yep, he'd hit the nail on its head. Rather bluntly too...

"I know that feeling, I've been there before and know what you're going through, but hating the world isn't the answer," the blond fox sat down in front of Ace as he pushed himself up from the ground, his snout not far from the kid's own nose.

Ace brought a fist up to throw a punch, only for Naruto to snatch his hand and pull him into a tight hug. 

It was like holding a toddler, really, that was the size difference between them. Ace's head fit right under Naruto's jaw when held against the teen's chest.

"You have two perfectly good brothers who are willing to love and support you; depend on them," Naruto whispered gently.

He let Ace go, watching as he stumbled in shock to pick up his pipe and race past his brothers into the thick brush. Sabo and Luffy shouted after him before following in haste, though not before shooting a few strange looks at the blond fox.


	4. Pirates and Marines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He just wanted some peace and quiet so he could start writing. Was that so much to ask for? He didn't mind the trio, but their grandfather was a bit much...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Another chapter! This is the first I'm trying fight scenes, so hopefully it's not complete garbage. I certainly know i'very seen better from others... This definitely dialogue-heavy chapter.

Weeks came and went since he'd met the three younger boys. As much as he was eager to see them again, Naruto let them have their space. Sabo and Luffy seemed to be particularly protective of Ace after their meeting and the ninja wanted his words to sink into the older raven's mind. The next time they managed to meet, Naruto had used the transformation jutsu to look like his former self -he doubted anyone would react as well as Luffy had if they saw his true appearance- and make an official visit into town.

He had decided, since he was stuck whenever or wherever he was, he would make sure to live not only for himself, but for his precious people too. He missed them, but he doubted they'd want him to waste the rest of his existence doing nothing but mourning. With inspiration from his late sensei, Pervy Sage, Naruto took to writing. While he had no interest in porn, the blond couldn't deny his old teacher had some good things going for him in the income and the information chain. However, before he could begin, he needed paper and writing utensils that weren't his ninja supplies, which is why he'd gone into Goa. The journey there was quick and the retrieval of his objectives even quicker, but the way back was interrupted.

"Well, what do we have here? I don't I've seen you before. You must be new around here!"

Lifting an eyebrow, Naruto looked at the thugs with disinterest and kept walking. They were looking for trouble no doubt, with their weapons on display. He'd seen them around before, and knew just what group they belonged to, but didn't care. They were too weak, their chakra levels being those of average civilians, and to fight them seriously would not only be a waste of energy, but an unnecessary slaughter.

"Awe, c'mon! What's with the cold shoulder? Pay attention!" the cocky one speaking raced at him with a sword.

Still unimpressed with them, Naruto caught the blade in his hand. Not a single drop of blood fell from his hand.

Bending the blade sideways, he said, "I have better things to do than play with you."

He really did, he wanted to start writing as soon as possible. These guys were getting in the way of that and irritating him. 

The man's eyes widened as he looked at his sword, bent cleanly into a ninety-degree angle, "What? How!?"

He turned to the other men, "Well! Don't just stand there! If Bluejam finds out we were beaten by a kid, he'll skin us!"

That spurred the rest of them to take laughable fighting stances of course, but Naruto was getting impatient. Having enough, he glared at the ringleader of the group as he let his Killing Intent wash over them. He then sighed when they fell to the ground with foam frothing from their mouths. 

"Pick up your friends and leave," the blond said to the other irritably, "And think of a better career choice while your at it."

The man nodded hurriedly in terror, a wet spot growing on his trousers, "Y-Yes, sir!"

With that, Naruto made his way back into the forest to find a comfortable place to suit his purpose. When he finally settled for a spot, he had a perfect view of the ocean from a steep grassy cliff. Looking at the scenery and hearing the waves crashing together erased all the tension from his body.

Sitting down, he yanked out one of the many notebooks and a pen out of the bag he'd "acquired" at an earlier date and began thinking of how he wanted to go about what he wanted to do. Did he want to do short stories? A long series? What did he want to include? Everything? Only the important things? Better yet, where would he start off? The beginning of his memories? When he first became a ninja? Slightly before the genin exam? Naruto had no clue where to begin.

"I told you! He went this way!" Luffy's insisting voice interrupted his thoughts.

"We get it, Luffy, you've told us who knows how many times now. Why are you so excited to talk to this guy anyway?" Sabo's voice asked curiously.

"He's like Shanks! He was surrounded by Bluejam Pirates, but he beat them all!" Luffy exclaimed, his footsteps getting louder.

Ace, now in Naruto's line of sight, lifted an eyebrow, "Really, how?"

"He looked at one of the guys!"

Ace snorted, "Just by looking at someone? I doubt that!"

Naruto smirked at those words; he'd make Ace eat them just like he had everyone else who doubted him.

"Guys...guys! That's him right over there, isn't it, Luffy? Ace, if you really doubt it, you can ask him yourself," Sabo said exasperatedly, fed up with their arguing.

Luffy cheered, running up to Naruto as his brothers followed behind with protests on their tongues.

"Hi! My name's Luffy! How did you do that thing you did?" he waved his hands around in his excitement.

"I'm Naruto," the ninja smiled, amused by the younger boy's enthusiasm, "What thing are you talking about?"

He already knew, but the kids didn't know that, so why not humor them?

"The thing you did to knock out the Bluejam Pirates!" Luffy said as Sabo and Ace walked up to him cautiously.

"Oh... that... That was a little trick a majority of my people can do," he explained vaguely.

Naruto honestly didn't know if any ninja resided elsewhere, or even if they still existed at all. He'd have to figure that out at some point, among other things.

"Really? What is it?" Sabo inquired with a tilt of his head.

"More importantly, where did you even come from? You're obviously not from here," Ace growled, glaring at the whiskered teen.

Sabo elbowed Ace for being rude, but Naruto answered anyway, "You're right, I'm not from around here. I moved here not too long ago."

"What for?" The younger blond questioned politely, "Goa Kingdom isn't exactly the most interesting place, you know."

"I was thrown out of my home," Naruto said lightly.

Technically, he was pulled out of his home, but that didn't change the fact he'd never see it again. He really didn't want to talk about it. Besides, it was highly unlikely that the kids would understand or believe anything if he told the complete truth. They would have to settle for half-truths for now because the blond teen knew out-right lying would bite him in the ass later. He was trying to make friends, not set himself up to lose them.

Luffy's eyes widened in astonishment, "What! Why!?"

The older brothers wore similar expressions, not having expected his answer.

"I had... a bit of a fight with some family," Naruto frowned in distaste.

While not entirely untrue, he didn't particularly like the thought of being associated -or even related- to the woman who nearly destroyed the world, much less saying it out loud.

Sabo nodded in understanding before holding out his hand, "Nice to meet you! I'm Sabo!"

The older blond flashed him his signature smile, taking the offered hand and giving it a shake, "Right back at you, Sabo!"

Still slightly shocked, Luffy asked, "Why would your family throw you out?"

He didn't understand why that could happen. Family was supposed to stick together, right? Luffy only knew of Sabo's Noble blood family being that mean, so we're they Nobles too?

"My... great grandmother was paranoid that someone would oust her from her position as head of the family. She felt that her own family was a threat. I stood up to her after she revealed her plan to kill everyone, but I... I don't know if I succeeded or not. I fell unconscious after dealing a killing blow, but doesn't mean anything since I didn't get to see her corpse before I was forced to leave," Naruto told them, giving a bitter smile at the end.

"Did your parents know?" Ace asked, his eyes sharp.

Naruto shrugged, "I wouldn't know. They were murdered on the night of my birth while protecting me from someone."

The three brothers didn't know what to think of that. They had gotten so much more than they bargained for when they first approached the orange-clothed teen. Having seen him take care of a group of pirates so effortlessly, Luffy was instantly enamoured by his strength. Hearing a bit of his past only added to the amount of respect he had for the blond ninja. Sabo hadn't thought much of him initially, but knowing of his struggle with his family -even if it wasn't his parents- brought a feeling of kinship he'd only ever felt with Ace and Luffy. He knew all too well just how unbearable blood family could be. On the other hand, Ace had only meant to see the guy and judge whether he was a threat or not, but ended up being surprised. Looking at the older blond, he hadn't ever thought someone could smile with so much happiness after losing everything. Naruto was a really strange person.

"Well, as much as this might be an... interesting thing to talk about, I'd rather no-" Naruto's words were suddenly interrupted by the echoing sound of trees falling over.

The reverberations of a male voice followed not long after, "Ace! Sabo! Luffy! Come out now! It's time for training!"

The three boys paled significantly at those words, going so far as to hide behind the tree Naruto was sitting against as the man calling out for them came ever closer. They spent the next several minutes there until Naruto finally saw the old man punching down the trees. Yes, punching down the trees because he certainly wasn't carrying any axe to cut them down.

"Oi! Blondie! You wouldn't happen to have seen a trio of kids around, would ya?" the scruffy man asked, pausing in his search.

Naruto grinned, "Sure have! They seemed rather terrified though."

The old man seemed to squint at him for a moment before cracking his knuckles, "So your the one I sensed earlier..."

"And what of it, Old Man?" Naruto tensed, getting ready to spring away from the tree, "I was just dissuading a group of thugs from attacking me."

"Since I can't seem to find my grandkids, you're gonna have to do. If they hear me fighting someone else, they're bound to come watch!" the old man swung a fist at him, "If you're strong enough to use Haki, you should turn out fine!"

Naruto jumped over the fist, using the man's arm as a springboard to land behind him, "What kind of logic is that!? Are you senile?"

Thankfully the force didn't collapse the tree, seeing as the kids were still hiding there. It did leave an imprint of his fist in the bark, however.

"Not only that, but what the hell're you talking about?" Naruto questioned as the grey-haired man readied his fist again.

The other man hesitated just slightly before taking a swing at him again, "You don't know what Haki is? Even though you use it?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I did!" Naruto dodged the fist, gripping the elongated arm connected to it and throwing him away.

"It's the manifestation of your will," the old guy grunted, pushing himself upright, "The kind you used, Conqueror's Haki, is the rarest."

Naruto scratched his cheek, humming, "Do you mean Killing Intent?"

Old Man rolled his neck as he stood, "Nope! Explain?"

The guy was awfully lax about fighting, though obviously extremely experienced. Naruto couldn't help but feel that the old man was just testing him, judging him. Sure, Naruto could fight him for real, but he'd said the three boys were his grandkids. He didn't know how well they'd react to seeing their grandpa get curbstomped.

Naruto tensed again incase the other decided to charge him once more, "Killing Intent is the influence a person's presence has on someone weaker than them."

"Eh, might as well be the same thing!" Old Man laughed before falling asleep.

"Did he really just fall asleep on me?" Naruto asked out loud, a look of disbelief firmly set on his face.

Luffy, Ace, and Sabo leaned out from behind the cracked tree, the little monkey whispering, "Yeah, he does this all the time."

Too bad the old man apparently heard him and woke up, "Ah! Boys! There you are! I've been looking for you all afternoon!"

The three brothers screamed and ran away as the old man made to move in their direction. 

Before he gave chase, he turned to Naruto and called out to him, "What's your name again?"

"Naruto, yours?"

"Vice Admiral Garp!" he waved goodbye, "See ya around, Blondie!"

"I just gave you my name! Use it!"


	5. Revealing Ninja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His anger reaching a boiling point, Ace threw his arms in the air exasperatedly and screamed, "Ugh! You're annoying!"
> 
> Knowing it'd annoy the other even further, the shinobi said, "I know I am, but do you know what you are?"

He knew they were watching him. Naruto could feel their eyes on him and he could see them too, considering the fact that they weren't hiding all that well either. Honestly, who taught them such horrible spying techniques? Garp? They had put leaves -flowers in Luffy's case- in their hair to hide in the bushes, but hadn't bothered to cover the rest of their faces at all. Not to mention the fact that they weren't exactly quiet either.

It's not like he was doing anything all that interesting, only training, so he didn't feel the need to shoot them away somehow. It was a bit awkward doing some exercises because of his new limbs, but he made do. He was also still slightly off balance, in part because of his new center of gravity, but he was rapidly fixing that problem. Settling into this routine helped him deal with the separation from his home too. He'd get up every morning and go for a run around the island a couple times before catching something for breakfast then starting his daily training. The reason being, whether there were other shinobi around or not, he didn't feel quite right if he didn't keep himself in peak condition.

Kurama and the rest of his siblings would tear him a new one if he so much as thought to let himself slip as well, so there's that...

At noon, he stopped working out to take long gulps of water from his canteen while sitting in the shade.

"Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox! That was amazing! How can you do so much without getting tired? Ace, Sabo, and me can only go for one hundred fights before getting tired!" Luffy ran up to the blue-eyed fox, a smile stuck on his face and the flowers still weaved into his hair.

His brothers hollered from the bushes, "Luffy! You blew our cover!"

Naruto laughed as Luffy called back an unrepentant, "Sorry!" over his shoulder.

""Sorry," my ass! And quit laughing, you stupid fox!" Ace growled, keeping a good distance between himself and Naruto even as his face flushed with embarrassment.

It seemed he wasn't all that eager to be near the ninja after their first meeting. Perhaps Naruto made him feel too vulnerable with his words? Eh, the raven would just have to get used to it because Naruto wouldn't stop there.

"I can't help it, Freckles! He's just too funny!" the fox smirked good-naturedly.

"Don't call me "Freckles"!" Ace glared as he bared his teeth in a snarl.

"Well, I haven't gotten your name yet, so what am I supposed to call you?" Naruto grinned, poking the figurative bear.

"He's right, we haven't given our names yet, Ace," Sabo said conflictedly, as if he was debating between asking the fox his own questions and getting between him and Ace.

"It's quite alright, Tophat, I already know them. I was only teasing."

"How?!" they looked at him in surprise.

Naruto lifted an eyebrow, "You three aren't the quietest bunch, you know... You guys shout each other's names so loudly the people in Fusha can hear your echoes. Seriously, I can hear you when we're on opposite sides of the forest."

Not literally if they were quiet enough, but his hearing certainly was a lot better than it used to be. He could usually find them without a problem with his ears alone. Luffy's excited shouting helped quite a bit though.

The older brothers gained alarmed looks while Luffy grinned, "Cool!"

"No! Not "Cool"!" Ace whacked Luffy over the head, "That's bad!"

He spun around, "You've been listening in on us?!"

Naruto cocked his head, "I don't make a habit of it...Is there something important about Luffy shouting "Meat!" repeatedly?"

Ace and Sabo seemed to deflate then. The blond fox had not a single doubt they had been worried about their pirate fund hidden in a tree not far from their little treehouse. He'd heard of it and knew where it was, but didn't touch it. However, nothing had kept him from setting traps around it. If anyone other than the boys attempted to get to it, they may suddenly find themselves hanging from a tree upside-down.

"Well... Whatever! Just answer Luffy's stupid question!" Ace demanded, grumbling irritatedly.

"Alright, alright, there's no need for you to get your panties in a twist," Naruto chuckled.

Ace began to growl, but was interrupted when the fox spoke on, "It's because I've been practicing for a very long time. Where I'm from, most families train their children to fight at a young age, either for self-defense or to enroll them into the Academy."

The three boys tilted their heads in curiosity, "Academy?"

"A school for people looking to join the military," Naruto clarified.

Luffy deflated, "Oh, so you're a marine?"

The teen shook his head, "Marine? No, the Academy is for ninja."

Naruto knew what Marines were supposed to be, he'd met Garp, but didn't particularly care all that much for them at the moment. From articles and newspapers he could get, he felt that there was something fishy going on behind the scenes. Everything seemed incredibly sugar-coated, too sweet to be true. It all screamed of lies that reminded Naruto of that old Warhawk, Danzo. The blond teen didn't like it at all.

Looking at Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, the fox found the younger boys to be in a state of shock. Their mouths were agape and their eyes were blown wide.

"You... You're a ninja?" Sabo's voice was filled with awe.

Naruto winked and put his index finger to his snout in a whispering gesture, "You can bet your hat I am!"

"Really?" Luffy asked in a whisper.

Naruto nodded with a grin, "Really, really!"

Geez, these kids were too cute... He didn't mean to play with them so much, but they were too funny.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Ace said, "Bullshit! Ninja don't exist!"

"Oh, you don't believe me?" the teen challenged.

"Hell no! How come no one's ever met a ninja before now?"

"So you admit that I'm a ninja?"

"No!" Ace flustered, stomping his feet in frustration, "Where did you even come from?!"

Naruto smirked, getting under Ace's skin, "I can't tell. That's classified information."

His anger reaching a boiling point, Ace threw his arms in the air exasperatedly and screamed, "Ugh! You're annoying!"

Knowing it'd annoy the other even further, the shinobi said, "I know I am, but do you know what you are?"

Ace froze for a moment before his expression turned absolutely thunderous, "What am I?"

"Adorable, of course!"

Ace face-faulted before sneering at the multitailed fox, "I'm not adorable!"

"The blush on your face says otherwise!~" Naruto sang teasingly.

On the sidelines, Sabo and Luffy watched the other two go back and forth, Ace trying and failing to get one over on the the older blond.

Having decided he was done listening to their verbal competition, the youngest asked, "Hey, Mr. Fox?"

"Yeah?" Naruto prompted as he focused on the other boy, "You don't have to address me so politely, it makes me feel old."

Luffy went on as if he hadn't said anything, getting excited, "You can do all those cool things, right? Like making clones, disappearing, and stuff!"

"Of course! You want to see?" 

Luffy nodded his head rapidly, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "Uh-huh!"

Naruto pushed himself up from his seat in the shade and stood in front of the brothers. Placing his hands in his signature handsign, a doppelganger popped into existence beside him. Without prompting, the clone made his own handsign and disappeared in a poof of white smoke. After the smoke disippated, a thin log was revealed as a replacement and the clone to be across the clearing.

While his clones preoccupied Luffy and Sabo, Naruto spared a glance to Ace. The raven's face gave away just how astonished he was. Ace, however, schooled his features as he turned away from the ninja fox.

"So you can perform a couple cheap tricks with your strange hand symbols... So what? Don't expect me to be fooled!" he huffed grumpily, his cheeks a light pink as he pouted.

Naruto chuckled, "I'm not trying to fool anyone."

"Then why are you being so nice? No one is ever nice unless they want something!" Ace hissed with narrowed eyes.

"You're right..." the ninja admitted.

Ace was about to yell again, but stopped as he registered the other's answer. He grimaced in uncertainty, having expected that the other would deny his accusation, and turned towards the blond.

"I'm selfish, I know I am. What I want is something only the three of you can give me," Naruto said cryptically.

Now guarded, Ace faced him completely, "What do you want then? Anything to do with Sabo or Luffy is an automatic "No"!"

"I want to see the three of you happy!" the fox smiled warmly, "And I'm not talking about giving me fake smiles either."

The freckled boy opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, just go away!" he said, settling for ignoring the source of his awkwardness as he groaned into his hands.

Naruto snickered at him, "Only this time, though. After this, you're stuck with me!"

Collecting his things, he waved good-bye for the evening before hesitating.

"You guys wanna see one last trick?" Naruto grinned mischievously.

Not waiting for their answers, Naruto made quick handsigns for the Transformation Jutsu. Turning and leaving them with the image of his human self, he cackled as he leapt into the forest. Ace's pissed off voice echoed along after him.

"They're the same person?!"


	6. Insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes even the most secure of people need to talk about their worries.

"Can you teach me that?" Sabo asked after watching Naruto practice with his kunai and shuriken.

"It'll take a lot of practice," Naruto pointed out as he yanked the weapons out of the thick tree he'd used as his target, storing them away afterwards.

Sabo shook his head stubbornly, "The benefits it shows later will be worth any frustration they cause now."

Sabo had come to see him as a role model, asking how to do things or make things work if he didn't understand something. They, along with Ace and Luffy, had spent quite a bit more time together. Instead of sparring on their own more often than not, they'd choose to spar with Naruto and watch him practice his forms before trying to copy him. The ninja had to admit they were quick learners, especially Luffy when he was given an incentive to pay attention. Though they were still nowhere near landing a solid blow on him, the three were plowing through adversaries elsewhere. Their pirate fund was growing by boatloads because the people in Grey Terminal and the city just couldn't fight back. Naruto knew he shouldn't condone the behavior, but he couldn't help but feel proud that they were so successful using what he taught them.

"Alright, but promise me something..." he knew it wasn't likely that Sabo would use them against someone weaker than him, namely the civilians, but he wanted to make sure.

"Yeah?"

"When you're out mugging people in the city, don't use them unless it's out of defense of yourself and your brothers. The Bluejam Pirates are fine to use them against, but the other citizens of Goa are much weaker than both them and us. Kunai and shuriken are unnecessary unless proven otherwise, okay?" he said sternly, remembering the laws that were used back home.

It wasn't so much that he cared about the people getting hurt -the Nobles mainly, that happened all the time, but it would attract unwanted attention to the younger boy and his brothers.

And he made sure to tell Sabo that, "Not only would you get in trouble, but Ace and Luffy too, and you could also accidentally hit them too, so be careful, okay?"

Sabo's eyes were wide, he hadn't thought about those things, "Err, could I just practice with them here then?"

"Of course, just make sure no one's in the way first. I'll watch you, and correct you when you need it, but there isn't a whole lot I can do without getting in the way. We'll start tomorrow afternoon, alright?" Naruto said, nodding.

Receiving a rapid nod of understanding, he turned to watch Luffy's progress with his punches. The first thing Naruto had done when they started meeting daily was correct Luffy's aim. For every time he hit the target, he'd get a reward, usually an extra portion at lunch or seeing a new jutsu. The black-haired boy was much like Sabo in the fact he never hesitated to ask questions, though not a lot had anything to do with whatever they were doing at any given moment. He always got excited when Naruto decided to show him and the older boys something new or told them his adventures as a ninja out loud though. 

Just being around them was easing the blond fox's stress. Honestly, Luffy was so happy that Naruto found it hard not to be the same. In combination with Sabo, the ninja was too preoccupied with teaching them to be sad, lonely, or even restless.

Then there was Ace, ever angry Ace. Ace would challenge him to a fight whenever he could, regardless of how tired he was. He'd be near collapse from all the exercise he'd done while going about the dump with Sabo and Luffy, and still give his all against Naruto. The nine-tailed blond had yet to decide whether that was cute or worrisome, but was always looking for a chance to tease the short-fused boy and he flustered a lot easier when he was exhausted.

No matter what he did, Ace just didn't seem to want to have anything to do with Naruto. He'd only ever truly respond to teasing, which is why Naruto would verbally prod him so frequently, and would explode not long after the blond threw out anything that vaguely resembled a compliment. Though, that might be due to the fact he was always wearing an I-think-you're-cute-when-you're-angry smile when he did so. 

"Naruto! I did it! I did it! I hit the bull's eye!" Luffy cheered loudly, waving his arms in the air.

"Good job, Luffy! You destroyed the whole post this time!" Naruto congratulated him with a proud smile, "Keep up the great work!"

"Shishishi! I wll!" the little monkey shouted, getting ready to throw another punch.

"Tch!" Ace, who'd been resting on a nearby stump, pulled himself into a seated position before clicking his tongue, "Luffy, let's fight!"

"Yeah! I'll beat you this time, Ace!"

"Not in a million years! I won't lose to a crybaby!"

"I'm not a crybaby! You're the one who's going to be crying when I beat you!"

The two dark-haired boys got in each other's faces and growled as they glared at one another.

"Yeah Right! It'll be a cold day in Hell before you make me cry!"

"That doesn't mean it won't happen," Luffy insisted, nodding with certainty.

"No! It won't happen because I'm not a crybaby like you!" Ace hissed, his hands in fists.

"Why did you cry after meeting Naruto then"

The question made the freckled boy freeze as his cheeks grew hot.

"Th-That was nothing!" he snarled.

Luffy tilted his head, taking a leaf out of Naruto's book and narrowing his eyes as he bluntly said, "Then why's your face red?"

Having enough of the other's embarrassing inquiries, Ace swiftly punched Luffy over the head and turned away, crossing his arms.

"Ow! Ace! Don't just hit me with no warning!" Luffy cried, gripping his head in pain.

Ace huffed in irritation, "We're fighting aren't we? You don't warn the person you're fighting against that you're going to hit them!"

Off to the side,Naruto and Sabo watched as they finally began to actually spar.

"Ace has been really irritable since we first met you, you know... just what did you say to him to make him so snappy?" Sabo asked, his tone calm, but not unassuming as he kept his eyes on his brothers.

Naruto looked down at the younger blond, "I told him the fact that he can depend on you and Luffy and that the two of you love him just as much as he loves you.

Geez, way to be awkward, Naruto. Eh, he's done worse, hasn't he? Surely.

"Really? How would you know?" Sabo looked at him curiously.

Naruto hummed softly, "Luffy is the most obvious, of course. He looks up to the two of you like you're the greatest things in the world since he discovered meat. I'd like to think that would be a hard thing to make him do, right? He doesn't regard just anyone like that for shits and giggles... You and Ace are his older brothers, you're his precious people and you mean the world to him. Then there's you, yourself. You worry about your brothers constantly, the way you glance at them when you think they aren't looking proves that, and you put their well-being over your own. Their opinion is something you value highly and that shows when you ask them for their thoughts. When the three of you can't find enough food for the day, you and Ace tend to let Luffy snag more from you than usual. Then there's Ace, the fact he's let anyone get so close without killing one of you on accident-or purpose- is astounding... If you weren't so close, he'd be a lot more rough with you. I also doubt he'd let either of you sleep anywhere near him if he didn't at least like you."

Sabo fidgeted at his assessment. It was uncomfortably accurate despite knowing him only for a few short months.

He looked at his feet, "Well, Ace kinda freaked out for a while before we went to bed. He wouldn't let us near him for a long while. When we asked what was wrong, he just folded into himself and started crying. Luffy and I spent the rest of the night sharing his bed with him even though it's getting a bit too small to do that. He wouldn't tell us what was wrong, that's why I asked you..."

"I feel like he doesn't really trust me some times," Sabo stopped fidgeting in favor of looking back up at his brothers, one of them specifically, "It's... it's really worrying."

"I can understand why it would be, but there's not much you can do beside wait for him to tell you himself, Sabo," Naruto said as he looked into the eyes the other had turned to him, "Ace isn't someone who easily gives in to pressure. I'm sure you know that better than I do."

Sabo nodded, his frame depressed, "Yeah, he is. Trying to get anything he doesn't want to share from him is like trying to eat nails; it just can't be done, not without risking an injury on my part."

Naruto crouched in front of Sabo and put his hands on the other's shoulders, "Sabo, he does trust you, probably more than you'll ever realize. Ace is most likely insecure about something -I don't know what- and simply doesn't feel comfortable talking about it. He'll tell you at some point, all you have to do is wait. Have faith in him because he needs you now more thanever."

Sabo stared at him in wonder before tears began gathering in his eyes. His lips pulled up into a smile to reveal the gap in his teeth because they were stretched so widely. The sheer happiness in his face was satisfying to see in Naruto's mind. So much better than the frown on it moments ago.

Naruto suddenly found himself pushed back onto the sun-warmed grass. Sabo sat in his lap and was squeezing the fox's middle tightly as he hid his face in the fur of the shinobi's chest.

Sabo looked up at the teen after a while of hugging, "Thanks... I needed that."

Naruto ruffled his hair, the tophat having fallen off in the younger's sudden movement, "No problem, Bud! Don't hesitate to talk to me again if you've got a problem with something!"

Sabo pulled away with flushed cheeks, now feeling a little embarrassed about reacting so strongly, "I won't..."

"Thanks again... For the talk I mean!" he put his hat on and pulled it down to cover his face shyly.

"Don't worry about it. Compared to the other two, you have patience in spades. You can hold out for him to make the first step, I know you can, " Naruto reassured him, giving his signature smile.

Sabo grinned back and nodded, the beet red on his face fading to a light pink as he settled himself beside the older blond. The other two were just finishing their spar.

Now that Luffy could throw a solid punch, Ace had to be quick with his footwork unless he wanted to eat dirt. There was an actual chance that he could lose to his younger brother now. However, Ace had his speed working in his advantage. He'd been running through the forest since he learned to walk and sharp turns came to him easily. The sudden changes in direction confused Luffy long enough for Ace to land a hit on him.

Luffy was spinning around wildly, looking for the older boy who just disappeared. He swung around towards a large patch of shrubs after hearing it rustle, but was disappointed to find only a small bunny. His disappointment was short lived -or, rather, extended- because Ace slammed into him and sent him crashing into the dirt.

"Bleh! Ace!" Luffy pushed himself up from the ground and glared at the older boy, "Now I have sand in my mouth!"

"So? I still win by the way," Ace smirked at the other triumphantly.

"Nu-uh! You hid! That's cheating!"

"Since when?"

"Uh... Um..."

"Since never! That's when! We never made a rule against it, so that means I win," Ace said stubbornly, crossing his arms as he blew a raspberry.

Luffy growled before howling, his fists held in front of him as he stopped his feet, "I'll beat you someday! Just you wait!"

"You keep saying that, but it hasn't happened and it never will if I have anything to say about it!" Ace yelled back.

"Alright ladies, you're both pretty! That's enough, so let's get a move on finding some dinner," Naruto interrupted before the arguement could escalate.

The two turned towards him quickly with wide eyes, startled by the intervention, before their faces changed. Luffy adopted a confused look as Ace's features gained an obvious mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"What? I'm not a lady, I'm a boy," Luffy stated with a tilt of his head while his freckled brother exploded, "I'm not a girl!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as Sabo failed to stifle his snickers, his voice holding that teasing edge to it, "Oh? So you're not going to deny that you're pretty?"

Ace stopped, his mouth opening and closing as his brain caught up with the words, red covering his face.

"Come on then Princess... There's prey waiting to be caught and eaten," the blond fox urged, walking off towards the thick vegetation.

"I'm not a fucking girl!"

"No, but you sure are acting like one who's in the middle of her time of month right now though."

"Fuck you!"

"Naru? What do you mean by "her time of month"?"

"It's nothing, Lu. I'll tell you when you're older."

"Aww!"


	7. Bumps and Bruises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every relationship has its bumps and potholes to move over and evade. Not even Naruto could ignore or deny that.

"I told you not to get too close, Luffy," Sabo scolded while Naruto wrapped the youngest's lower leg in gauze.

Luffy didn't hear him over his own whimpers, "Naru! It hurts!"

"I know, Luffy. I've had my fair share of snake bites. They hurt a lot, which is why you have to be careful around the snakes themselves. The scaly beasts around here aren't all that friendly after all," the teen said calmly as he cut the leftover lengths of material after tying if off.

He hugged the younger boy, "The pain will go away eventually, but I think I have some ice packs at home if you want to numb it a bit. It won't help much, but it's better than nothing..."

Luffy nodded eagerly as he wiped his face free of tears, wanting the pain to go away as soon as possible.

"Alright, I'll have to carry you though... It's a long walk and I doubt you want to use that leg right now," Naruto wasted no time in picking the little boy up and placing him on his shoulders.

Luffy squealed in surprise at the sudden action, flailing his arms in an attempt to regain balance before gripping the soft hair nestled between and below the ninja's fluffy ears.

"Woah! So high! You're really tall, Naruto!" he commented enthusiastically, rubbing his face in the blond strands.

Naruto grinned, gripping the tiny ankles that dangled in front of his upper chest, "Yep! Now hold on tight, I don't want you to fall. You may be rubber, but hitting your head never feels good."

Luffy simply nodded as he held on, too preoccupied with playing with the other's hair.

"If you want to sleep, all I ask is that you don't drool or get snot in my hair or fur..." Naruto trailed off after hearing a light snore, "And he isn't listening..."

Sighing and turning to Ace and Sabo, he asked, "Got your loot? It'd be a shame to go through all that trouble just to forget it."

"Yeah, yeah," Ace waved a hand dismissively, "We've got it. Let's go, the sooner we start moving, the sooner Luffy will quit whining."

Naruto gripped Luffy's hands as he woke up and got ready to yell back, not wanting the little imp to rip his hair out, "Calm down and don't react, Luffy. Save the anger for later."

Luffy frowned, pouting, "Alright, I will, but I won't like it."

"You don't have to, but I don't want you to yank my hair out. Keep the grip gentle, would you?" the shinobi grumbled as he massaged his temples.

He looked at the other two, "Please, don't tease him when he's holding onto me like this. I'd rather not go bald, okay?"

Getting a thumbs up from Sabo and a huff from Ace, Naruto turned in the direction of his home and began walking.

"So, where'd you guys go today?" he asked, keeping up conversation in hopes of preventing the atmosphere from getting awkward.

Luffy threw his arms into the air, giggling as Naruto kept a firm grip on his ankles so he didn't fall backwards, "We went into town today!"

"Really? What did you do there? I must have missed you on my way out," Naruto shrugged.

He had gone through all of his pens and had needed to get more.

"We fought with the older kids after dining and dashing," Sabo answered, looking both embarrassed and proud.

Naruto could understand the pride as taking on someone older and bigger than yourself could be a challenge at times, but why would the younger blond be embarrassed?

"Did you win?"

"Yes... err, well..." Sabo's face gained more color as Ace looked away stubbornly.

"What happened?" Naruto prodded, slightly concerned now as the younger kids' faces were turning redder.

He was getting rather worried about them now. They looked rather feverish... Did they catch the cold that was going around in the lower parts of the city? Did he need to take them in to a clinic? Naruto wasn't Sakura, he didn't know all that much about illnesses... or children. He'd never been sick from anything other than food poisoning and even that had always been over quickly.

"Sabo? Ace? Are you two feeling alright?" the ninja quickly reached out a hand to feel their foreheads, "You're burning up."

Sabo yelped in surprise as Ace tripped backwards to avoid the hand, "No, no! We're fine!"

"You ass! Don't do that so suddenly! Next time I'll hit you!" Ace yelled as he got up and brushed off his shorts.

Naruto looked at them seriously. If they were feeling ill and weren't going to tell him, he'd go along for now, but he'd force the issue if it got worse... Maybe he should ask Luffy?

"Hey, Luffy?"

The boy hummed sleepily, "Yeah?"

"Besides fighting and dining and dashing, what did you do in town?"

Luffy answered, but was muffled by Naruto's hair, making the fox sigh, "Alright then, no more asking sleepy Luffy questions."

He looked back at the older brothers with determination. Sakura had always said the best way to get rid of a cold preemptively was to get plenty of rest.

"I'll get the two of you some medicine after I get Luffy some ice. You'll take a nap after that," Naruto stated without room for question after turning back to the trail home.

"You don't have to do that! Really! We're just fine!" Sabo protested, waving his arms in front of himself.

Naruto looked back at him with a smile, "You're right, I don't have to, but I want to. Tell me if you start feeling any worse, okay?"

Ace had apparently had enough of him and gotten irritated then because he kicked a tree, splintering the outer bark, and hissed, "Stop babying us! We don't need your help! We were perfectly fine before you came along and we'd be just as fine if you left! So why do you stick around?!"

His words were painful to hear, though Naruto tried to push the hurt away along with the sting in his scalp signifying Luffy's sudden wakening. Ace was only trying to push him away, he knew, but he never had managed to get any more tolerant to such things. Naruto was fairly sure he'd prefer someone blatantly punching him in the face to hearing people talk about him behind his back at this point, much less directly to him.

Sighing, he plastered on a smile, looked at Ace, and said, "I know you three are perfectly capable without me, you prove that often."

Leaving it at that, he turned back around and started walking again. The silence was buzzing with tension, but none could bring themselves to break it. Not even Luffy, who was now fidgeting uncomfortably, felt the urge to speak up. He didn't know why, but he knew the fox was upset terribly despite his smile. The stiff muscles beneath him gave away far more than the ones on the teen's vulpine face ever would.

Ace knew he'd touched a nerve. The smile the other had given him just didn't seem natural at all, as if it were laced with something other than happiness. It was the same smile Sabo would give whenever he and Luffy would ask questions about his parents, not having the knowledge that came with having them themselves. Not only that, but the freckled raven knew the momentary sadness that had disappeared in the blink of an eye hadn't been a trick of the light. He had gotten far too accustomed to seeing it on his own face before meeting Sabo.

Sabo honestly couldn't believe Ace had said what he did. Naruto was like them, wasn't he? The older blond was alone, without anyone else, and separated from his home. He was there when Naruto told them too! So why? Of course Sabo also knew the older male hid behind his smiles, he was guilty of doing the same thing. Why did Ace keep insisting on pushing people away? Sabo just didn't understand Ace sometimes.

Before long, a townhouse hidden in the trees was revealed. All around it various trees layered between themselves to hide it from view.

Forgetting the previous tension, Luffy cut through it with his excitement like a hot knife through butter, "Hey! Your house looks like the houses back at home!"

Naruto chuckled, pulling the key to the door out of a pocket, "Well, it should, I'd be disappointed if it didn't. I did learn how to build it from someone in Fusha."

"Really? Did you see Makino too? She's really nice!"

"Yep! I did! Makino really helped me too! I would have never been able to concentrate if she hadn't been so kind in making me lunch sometimes!

"Aw! Lucky! She hasn't been up to see us in a while!"

Turning the knob, he nudged the door open and ducked inside while being careful not to whack Luffy on the doorframe. He turned back when he only heard one set of footsteps behind his own.

Ace was still standing outside, his eyes on his feet. 

"Ace... you're gonna come in aren't you? I'm not mad..."

"No."

"Fine, but come in soon, okay? The door's open...I don't want you to start feeling worse." the teen relented, leaving the door wide and hesitantly turning into the adjacent room, the kitchen.

It was summer, so it wasn't a big deal. He'd just have to be on the look out for bugs later.

""Let's get you that ice, Luffy. How are you feeling now?" Naruto plucked the boy off his shoulders and placed him on the counter next to the sink.

"It still hurts, but not as bad..." Luffy pouted.

"You're lucky it wasn't a venomous snake and that Naruto was nearby to treat the bite!" Sabo frowned, grumbling, "It would have been a lot more painful if that was the case. What do think Ace and I would have been able to do? Not a whole lot, to be honest..."

Luffy swung his legs only to flinch in pain, "I know that now..."

"Good, because I would have been sad too." Naruto yanked open the icebox and pulled out a small bag of ice.

Wrapping it around Luffy's leg and securing it so it wouldn't fall off, he grinned cheekily, "I like having you and your brothers around!"

"You like us? All of us?" Luffy asked uncertainly, the sound of a door closing just barely heard over his whisper.

"Of course!"

The footsteps had stopped just outside the threshold of the kitchen now.

"Even if we can't give anything in return? You share a lot of your stuff with us... your knowledge, your food, your weapons for practice, you even correct the way we fight so we don't get too hurt... You don't have to do those things, but you do them anyway?" Sabo spoke, Ace peeking out from behind the doorway now, his eyes shadowed by his hair.

"You're right, I don't have to do those things. I don't do anything I don't want to, but I do those things because I do. I'm not asking for anything other than your presence and your happiness in return. You don't have to give me anything because you just being you is enough for me." the fox leaned against the counter beside Luffy now, ruffling the younger boy's hair, "You three were the first people I met here. How could I not get attached?"

"I mean really; one ball of sunshine, a wonderful blond dork, and a little spitfire. I don't think I'd be able to stay away even if you truly wanted me to...," he looked at each of them in turn.

"You guys make me happy, so I want to return the favor..." Naruto confessed, looking away awkwardly.

They were looking at him in shock now. Sabo coughed before turning away with light sniffles as Luffy began tearing up. Ace was left standing in shock, gaping at the teen's blunt honesty.

Luffy desperately clutched at one of Naruto's wrists, "You mean it? You want us around?"

"Yes, I really mean it, Luffy," Naruto pulled him into a tight hug, "Having you, Ace, and Sabo around dulls the ache of lonliness."

"Not many people have been able to do that for me..."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or kudos if you'd like. You can also find me on Fanfiction (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/9412050/ShyDragonsFlight) and Tumblr (https://justwhatwasithinking.tumblr.com)!


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